Dog Napping Story Comes to No Good End
Published March 1, 2010
In the olden days of yore in the Wild West, stealing a horse was considered a capital offense, and even today, in some states it still to be an ancient law remaining on the books. Of course it is highly unlikely that someone would be executed for this dastardly crime, nevertheless it is still a serious offense.
But what do you think about the act of "dog or cat-napping?" Isn't that as heinous a crime? Family pets are precious to their owners and I feel very strongly about anyone who would stoop as low as "nap" a furry companion.
But apparently, as reported by a local New York television station, last week, someone actually stole a dog named Sugar, from Drucie Belman of Brooklyn, New York, and had the gall to then demand a hefty ransom for the dog's return.
Sugar Family Photo via CBS.TV online While taking her three year old French bulldog/basset hound mix for a walk in Prospect Park, Sugar ran away from her and her two children for no disclosed reason.
Upset and distraught, the family immediately plastered the neighborhood with signs and photographs of the dog in hopes that someone would find her and return her home very quickly. The Belman family was very distressed and concerned over Sugar's disappearance.
It seems that Sugar got into the hands of an enterprising "dog-napper" however. The Belmans received a phone call asking how much money they were willing to give for the return of their dog. In an interview with the television station, Mrs. Belman said that the caller asked, "'What are you going to give me for your dog? How much are you going to give me?" In fact, Mrs. Belman was rather shocked by the phone call.
Mrs. Belman offered the caller $50.00 as a "reward" for finding the dog. But this offer was not considered to be sufficient ransom for the dog-napper apparently, as he immediately hung up the phone. A few minutes later he called back again and said to a very stunned Mrs. Belman, "Good luck in finding your dog."
I feel so very badly for this family who misses Sugar tremendously. For folks living in the Brooklyn vicinity, any "Sugar" sightings should be reported right away to 347-603-2016 or 718-622-3833. Let's hope that Sugar and her owners be reunited as soon as possible.
What do you think of someone who could stoop so low as to steal a family pet? What do you think the punishment should be? Please do leave a comment and share your opinion.
Shortly after retiring as a social worker and psychotherapist, I discovered my "writer's voice"…
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Comments (7)
I don't understand why people do this things. Dogs are part of the family and to be honest the punishment should be the same as if kidnapped child. It sounds extreme but the anguish people go through when this things happens is the same as losing a child.
It was not proven that the "dog napper" actually took Sugar or just found her and took advantage of the situation. Both acts are unconscionable, in my opinion. What is even worse is the human being (using the term loosely) who steals pets out of their own yards and sells them to others or to laboratories for profit. A fit sentence for committing this crime would be neutering.
I thought I had heard that Sugar was found (in good condition) tied to a tree in a park shortly after the original story aired. I hope that that wasn't a mistake. Petnapping is every bit as evil as kidnapping!
Years ago people would do favors for their friends and neighbors out of the goodness of their hearts. Today, everybody wnats to be paid for the slightest thing. I have even heard of people stealing dogs and advertize, then will return them to their owners for a reward. People are just sick these days.
My uncle, Assemblyman Joseph Lentol of Brooklyn, has introduced a dog napping law for the state of NY that makes stealing a pet a felony punishable up to 2 years in prision and 4 years if the pet is sold to a medical facility or used in dogfighting. You can join my cause page on FB called "Outlaw the kidnapping of Pets" if you want to read updates. Unfortunately the laws take a very long time to get passed!!!
I can't not believe how sick people can be. This breaks my heart! I certianly hope this person is caught and thrown in jail (in my opinion there isn't a long enough sentence he could recieve.) I pray this family is reunited with Sugar.
In these days and times I am not shocked at all by how low humans will stoop to make a buck. This is so sad. I hope some how this family is re-united with their dog.